Assam polls: 12 per cent vote cast in first two hours
April 4th, 2011 - 1:22 pm ICT by ANI
Guwahati, Apr 4 (ANI): Twelve per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of polling in 62 Assembly constituencies of Assam today.
There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines in some constituencies, which were immediately replaced, and voting continued uninterrupted
The voting, which started at 7 a.m. will continue till 3 p.m.
Four hundred and eighty five candidates, including 38 women, are in the fray for this phase. Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates in all the 62 constituencies, while Asom Gana Parishad is contesting 51 constituencies.
There are 157 independent candidates in the fray for this phase.
Among the prominent Congress leaders whose fate would be decided on Monday are incumbent Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi from Titabor, Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi (Margherita), Excise Minister Gautam Roy (Katlicherra), Culture Minister Bharat Narah (Dhakuakhana), Khor Sing Ingti (Howraghat) and Works Minister Ajanta Neog (Golaghat).
Prominent AGP leaders who are in the fray in the first phase are Brindabon Goswami (Tezpur), Pradip Hazarika (Amguri) and Padma Hazarika (Sootea).
Monday’s polling will also determine the fate of BJP leaders Ranjit Dutta (Bihali), Ranjan Das (Karimganj North), Parimal Sukalabaidya (Dholai), Kamakhya Tasa (Margherita) and Prasanta Phukan (Dibrugarh).
Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polls.
A total of 2,033 booths have been identified as hyper sensitive, 2,985 sensitive and 817 hamlets as vulnerable.
Altogether 346 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed. 65 to 75 per cent of polling stations will be covered by central paramilitary forces and the rest by police, micro-observers and video-cameras.
The second phase of elections will be held on April 11. Results are due on May 13. (ANI)
- 65-70 percent polling recorded in Assam - Apr 04, 2011
- Assam CM Gogoi cast his vote, confident of victory - Apr 04, 2011
- Polling underway for first phase of Assam elections - Apr 04, 2011
- Polls to five assemblies begins with Assam (Lead) - Apr 04, 2011
- Millionaires to ex-militants in Assam poll fray - Mar 20, 2011
- Polling begins for second phase of Assam elections - Apr 11, 2011
- Over 84 percent turnout in fourth phase of West Bengal polls - May 03, 2011
- Moderate to heavy polling in Assam (Third Lead) - Apr 11, 2011
- Polling begins for first phase of Assam elections - Apr 04, 2011
- Stage set for Assam first phase elections (Poll Curtain Raiser) - Apr 03, 2011
- Election 2011 begins with Assam, proceeds peacefully (Second Lead) - Apr 04, 2011
- Brisk polling in fifth round of Bengal elections (Third Lead) - May 07, 2011
- Brisk voting in fifth round of Bengal polls (Fourth Lead) - May 07, 2011
- West Bengal polls enter fifth phase Saturday - May 06, 2011
- Peaceful voting in Bengal's Maoist-hit districts (Second Lead) - May 07, 2011
Tags: ajanta, assembly constituencies, bharatiya janata party, bjp leaders, congress leaders, culture minister, electronic voting machines, gautam, gogoi, independent candidates, kamakhya, karimganj, khor, narah, paramilitary forces, parimal, power minister, pradip, security arrangements, video cameras